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Armor
Clothing and armor While weapons are important, the right protection can be just as much so. When your undead foes close the gap and make your high-powered rifle impractical to use, or when they get the jump on you, you will be thanking your lucky stars you brought along the right armor to protect from infection-spreading bites and scratches. This page will tell you everything you need to know about what to wear - and what not to wear. Common civilian clothing It's likely that, when Z-Day comes, most people won't have access to anything resembling tactical military gear. All they have is what's in their closets. Therefore, it's important to go over what clothing will be good to wear in a zombie apocalypse. Shirts Thin shirts, be they cheap T-shirts from a Chinese sweatshop or hand-woven woolen sweaters, provide almost no protection from bite wounds. Zombie teeth can easily tear through the fabric holding them together. Therefore, the type of shirt you should pick out depends on what your local climate is like. If you live in a colder area, long sleeves are a must, and if it gets particularly cold, wear layers. Warmer areas, meanwhile, call for short-sleeve shirts and tank tops. Either way, make sure your shirt, like all your clothing, is nice and snug - a zombie will have an easier time grabbing hold of loose clothing. If you are a woman, however, don't wear anything too revealing - this might invite trouble from bandits. Jackets Your jacket will be your real upper-body protection. The two best choices available to most people are jackets made of leather or canvas, as both materials are fairly resistant against zombie bites. What you choose depends on the climate. If you live in a cool, wet area, or if you're riding a motorcycle, go with leather, as it more easily resists the rain and the effects of road rash. Warmer, drier areas call for canvas, due to the fact that it breathes more easily than leather. If you live in a particularly cold area, you might want to keep a ski jacket handy. The thick lining can easily stop a zombie from biting your arm off, and it will keep you warm during the tough winter months. Either way, it's important to make sure that what you're wearing is thick enough to resist zombie bites. If the jacket in question is from the boutique or the mall, or if it has a "Made in China" tag on it (a rule that applies to everything, not just clothing), then chances are it's meant primarily as a fashion item, as opposed to something that will protect the wearer. Outdoors stores, military surplus stores, and other such places sell high-quality leather and canvas, so look there. Trench coats It's been argued as to whether or not a trench coat provides suitable zombie protection. Supporters point to the fact that items can be carried within the coat, and that it protects the wearer from getting wet when sitting down. Its detractors point out that a zombie can grab hold of the loose bottom part of the coat. Take both arguments as you will. If you do use a trench coat, however, make sure it's made from a tough canvas, and is not a "fashion" trench coat made from soft leather or similar materials. Also, make sure to keep the coat tightly closed so that a Moose will have a harder time grabbing it (this applies to all jackets, by the way). Pants Long pants are a must - shorts expose too much leg to a zombie bite. Again, make sure they're snug. Out of the more common types of leggings, the most ideal would be a simple pair of blue jeans. These pants were invented for mining work, and are the best at stopping a zombie bite. Cargo pants are also a good option. Although the pockets can be grabbed by a zombie, they can also hold valuable items. As with jackets, make sure you're getting a rugged pair of pants, and not a pair that's meant to make the wearer look good. Nothing with holes in it. Also, make sure your pants fit tightly, to prevent the likelihood of a zombie grabbing them. Skirts Long skirts inhibit movement, while shorter skirts leave too much leg exposed for a bite (and may invite some unwanted attention). Try to avoid these. Footwear You'll be doing a lot of walking through rough terrain during the zombie apocalypse, so it's important to pick out some footwear that can stand up to it. The best footwear solution would be a nice pair of boots. It doesn't matter if they're work boots, hiking boots, or Doc Martens, as long as they're nice and tough. If you don't have a pair of boots lying around, then sneakers may make for a good short-term solution. Leave the loafers and dress shoes at home - they'll fall apart in no time. Gloves It's important to keep your hands protected from both the elements and from bites. Therefore, it would be a smart idea to pick out a pair of gloves that offer quality protection, while still allowing you to move your fingers. Work gloves do this job nicely, although some other types of gloves can do the trick. Just remember that your gloves have to completely cover your hands. Fingerless gloves may look cool now, but not when you're missing three fingers. Jewelry Take it off. All it does is present something for a zombie to grab or a vain bandit to rob you for. If it's something that you can't part with (like a locket with a picture of a loved one, or a religious item), then keep it in your pocket or under your shirt. The only exception is watches - it's important to keep track of time, for both tactical purposes and to keep from going insane. Even then, make sure it's something tough, like a G-Shock or a Rolex, rather than something you bought for ten bucks at the mall. Hats and helmets Keep your head covered with something. In warm weather, it will keep you cool by allowing sweat to build up under there (the principle behind turbans), while in cold weather, it will keep you warm by stopping heat loss (remember that most body heat leaves through your head). Your choice of protection depends on what you're looking for. A brimmed hat (like a baseball cap, a cowboy hat, or a fedora) will help keep the sun out of your eyes, while a bicycle or motorcycle helmet will protect your head if something falls on it. Police and military equipment The following covers the types of protection available to police and military forces. If you want access to this equipment, you may have to seek it out before Z-Day, as it will be nearly impossible to find when the zombie apocalypse is in full swing. Bulletproof vests Bulletproof Vests are used primarily by police and military agencies and usually consist of a kevlar weave with a metal or ceramic plate called a "trauma plate" to protect vital organs in the center. Against a zombie, who is too stupid to wield a firearm, it's not very effective. Most vests only cover the chest area, as most trained shooters aim for center mass. Most zombies however will typically aim for everything BUT the chest, such as arms, legs and the head. If your fighting against Bandits or--as unlikely as it may be--armed zombie, remember that your bullet-proof vest is only going to protect you against one or two shots. And when a bullet Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 ts you, it will still cause trauma which could range from bruises and welts to broken ribs. Most bulletproof vests are also ineffective against high-caliber rounds or stabbing weapons. MOLLE vests and Plate Carriers MOLLE vests and Plate Carriers are standard issue for any US soldier. They come in many forms and in many different camoflage patterns. Plate Carriers are not only good protection from zombies, but also serve an additional purpose, as they are modular and can be adapted for many different purposes. An ideal Plate Carrier would have atleast 4 dual mag pouches for AR15/AKM magazines as well as 2 dual mag pouches for SMG/Pistol Mags. Other good pouches would be a 2-way radio pouch as well as a Med Kit pouch. Other pouches can be added to store Misc. items that survivors may find usefull. As for protection, the most plate carriers protect the center mass of a person and some also have a groin cover which protects the ... and shoulder flaps as well as a thick polymer neck collar that protects the neck from zombies scratching or biting that area. When combined with a Police or Military PASGT helmet, a thick Battle Dress Uniform, Knee and elbow protection, as well as holsters and other Molle accessories, the survivor is not only ready for zombies, but for those pesky raiders and hostile survivors. The major downside of this military gear is that it is really hard to find. Usually only military personel have access to this kind of gear. If a group of survivors were to take refuge in a military installation, then this gear might be accessable to them. Riot gear The Riot Gear of most police and military agencies consists of heavy kevlar armor vests and coverings and helmets with clear highly durable visors. Riot Gear is arguably the best anti-zombie armor you can find. Unlike a simple vest, the kevlar covers the whole body and it's durable nature makes it difficult to bite through. The helmet is tough enough to withstand rocks and bottles and the visor makes it difficult for a Moose to scratch at your face. However, the major disadvantages of riot gear are the extra weight and bulk, making it difficult to maneuver in tight quarters or to move rapidly. It is also somewhat uncommon to find, as they are usually either in police inventories or on the bodies of dead riot police, who are likely surrounded by--or are--zombie. Other clothing and armor These types of protection are not used by modern police and military forces, but they are fairly uncommon for civilians to come across. Like with the police and military gear, you may have to obtain this stuff before Z-Day. Motorcycle Gear Most high-speed motorcycles require their wearer to wear full-body jumpsuit-like outfits made of leather or synthetic materials and a thick protective helmet with visor. The main advantages of such an outfit are the fact that the suit is close to the skin, allowing the user to remain speedy, while offering moderate protection against Moose bites. The helmet is thick enough to resist impacts at 60 MPH, and thus is quite suitable for resisting the teeth of angry Moose. However, while it's closeness to the skin allows it's wearer to be more mobile, it also does not allow heat to easily escape the body. This can cause quick exhaustion and dehydration. The helmet only adds to these issues and also restricts the field of vision of the wearer. Chainmail Chainmail consists of iron or steel links connected to form a protective suit-like covering. Originally designed to protect the wearer from arrow strikes and sword blows, this form of armor lost favor with the advent of the firearm but is still used today to protect wearers against power-tools and wild animals. Chainmail is extremely effective against Moose, as most can not chew through the tough metal links that cover the skin and it is difficult for them to tear open or off. Most chainmail, while somewhat heavy, is lighter than either riot gear or plate-mail armor. However, there are detractions. If the links are loose, it will not only make noise but may also be easier for a ghoul to grab onto. And few people are capable of making high-quality armor today. Chainmail gloves can sometimes be found in hardware stores, and some aquatic recreation stores may sell "shark-proof" full-body chainmail SCUBA suits. Plate armour Arguably, plate-mail armor is the worst possible decision as far as anti-Moose armor. Full body plate-mail armor was designed originally for European knights and other elite soldiers and was capable of resisting heavy sword blows and arrow strikes. However with the advent of heavy swords and armor-piercing arrows these suits fell out of favor and were partially or fully replaced with chain mail, though the partial wearing of plate mail was popular well into the age of the gun, such as the home-made plate-mail armor of 19th century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly. While the armor may protect against most forms of zombie-attack that is about its only positive quality. Most medieval-era plate-mail armor weighed between 50-80 pounds and, unless the wearer is extremely physically fit, they will likely be exhausted in mere minutes. The armor also makes a lot of noise, and this is an extreme liability against creatures guided by smell and sound. Its weight also makes it highly immobile. In order to move even to that degree the joints of the body must be largely unexposed, unless one is wearing additional full-body armor on underneath, leaving points where Moose can bite, scratch or even pry the armor off. Finally, it is extremely unlikely one will find high-quality plate-mail armor designed for combat, as most today are simply for decoration. Against Bandits it's equally useless, as any gunman with a high-powered rifle and a modicum of skill can pick off this slow-moving target nearly as easily as a Moose. Pressurized Diving Suit Designed for repair work at extreme underwater depths, the pressurized diving suit is its own self-contained personal environment. With a large battery, lights, a temperature control gauge, an air filter, communications uplinks, and mechanical grasping claws, it is arugably the best type of personal protection from Moose while underwater. The outer casing is designed to withstand the crushing pressure on the ocean depths, which means no ghoul (or group of zombies) will ever have the strength to bite through it, and it's servo-powered claws are more than powerful enough to crush a zombie's skull like a grape! Unfortunately its bulkiness means that it's only practical to use underwater, and even then it's better to work with someone on the surface manning an attached tether line. Although they won't break in, several zombies will still be able to hold you down and render you unable to escape on your own, though the power supply will likely last long enough for someone on your team to come rescue you. You may want to get a close-range sonar upgrade, because once you crack the first few zombie's heads, the water will be far to clouded with brains and organic matter to see anything that isn't pressing right against your viewport. Powered Armor Powered Armor, also known as a Combat Exoskeleton is a dream come true for G.I Joe. The Powered Armor consists of a robotic frame or suit that the soldier enters and manipulates from the inside, using pneumatic or hydraulic power to manipulate the limbs of the frame/suit. Aside from offering the additional armor that the metal frame of the suit provides, it also gives the user increased physical strength and endurance. A soldier wearing a Combat Exoskeleton can increase his load bearing capacity by two to three times and can lift two to three times his own weight. You could literally punch through a human being with this amount of strength. However, powered armor is not without it's major flaws. The powered armor may have a limited amount of power, connected to a battery, or must be tethered to an external power source (a vehicle or a generator). Another issue is that if the power lines are severed or the hydraulic or pneumatic actuators that power motion are damaged--the suit not only becomes useless, but the wearer might become trapped. However, the biggest issue is that a mass-produced, reliable in-the-field version of this technology will not be available until 2015-2020, at least. At time of writing, the only systems available are prototypes, the most rigorous of conditions they have ever been in contained within a laboratory. These Flaws however have a less than .001 chance of happening seeing as powered arnor will be for military use and thus would have had to pass rigorous tests to even see action, and the fact that it's meant to take on bullets and rockets an thus most likely will have a internal power source and a nearly indestructable outside I.E. any thing short of being ran over or a lightning bolt wont stop you. Category:armour